Put Another Nickel In
by Nora Salisbury
Summary: Music Man has sent Megamind a gag gift ... but Roxanne is the only one laughing.  Rating this a T just in case, for mild suggestive content.  Set post-movie.


_OK, this is just an odd little joke in a short one-shot fic, hopefully I won't be the only one laughing. I have other fics in my mind and will try to get them on paper and then here when my crazy, upside-down world allows. As everyone says, I don't own Megamind (I wish!) and bow in deference to the geniuses at Dreamworks. I'm not worthy! But thank you for our sweet blue spaceman!_

"Put Another Nickel In ..."

Roxanne walked through the hologram of a brick wall with the odd graffiti message "GO AWAY - NOBODY LIVES HERE" and into the formerly-evil lair of her brilliant blue beau, Megamind. She'd been spending most of her free time lately with him, mostly curled up in his lap, finding new ways to make his ears and cheeks turn Fuchsia.

She found him and his best friend Minion regarding a T-shirt with puzzled expressions. "What's that?" Roxanne asked as she approached. "Wayne sent me a gift for April Fool's Day ... but I don't get the joke" Megamind enlightened her. Roxanne nodded, she knew that Wayne Scott, AKA "Music Man," had a weird sense of humor, especially when playing tricks on his old rival. He wanted so badly to be friends now, engaging in the male bonding rituals involving practical jokes & good-natured ribbing; overtures Megamind barely tolerated.

"Mister Scott's 'gifts' back in school weren't as ... practical" Minion told her. "No, and they were deceptive ..." Megamind recalled, "the 'Hertz Donut' ..." he rubbed his arm absently as he spoke. Minion shuddered in his glass habitat, pulling his fins in against his body, "eeww ... the SWIRLY!" Megamind's eyes flashed with anger for a moment at the memory of the only time the big bully's attention focused on his aquatic BFF. The glare his green eyes fixed on Wayne's blue ones as he rescued his friend let Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes know that further abuse of the fish would not be tolerated. "Both sounded like tasty treats but were only more torture" Megamind mused gloomily.

Roxanne's jaw set in that "why-I-oughta ..." expression she had. "OK, remind me to slap Wayne when I see him, just for picking on Minion ..." Minion's eyes brightened at his friend's protective attitude, and his mouth spread wide in a toothy grin. Ever since the battle with Tighten, Roxanne had gone out of her way to show Minion that she valued his friendship, and not just because he had saved her bacon on that tower. She saw his devotion to his lifelong friend in the hundreds of little things he did to take care of him every day, and was truly impressed by his loyalty. "...but," she continued, "I thought he stopped being such a jerk now that he considers you his 'Little Buddy'." Megamind's face showed that he was NOT amused by the moniker. "Well," he intoned, "his gifts of late haven't been so mean, just ... cheap shots. The last one was a crazy straw from the 24/7 store, with a little blue plastic brain that says 'Brain Freeze' on it." He then held up the novelty garment he'd just received. "I have no idea what this is supposed to mean, but he must know that I DON'T do T-shirts!"

Roxanne finally got a look at the shirt's iron-on design:

GOATEE RIDES: 5 CENTS

The plucky reporter collapsed on her boyfriend's shoulders, laughing hysterically, her face pressed into his chest. "Well, I'm glad _you're _so amused ... " he said, wrapping an arm around her waist to support her sagging frame, " ... care to let me in on the gag?" She shook her head as she struggled to regain her composure, then yanked the shirt from his grasp. "OK, there is no way I'm letting you wear this in public" she giggled. Megamind raised one eyebrow quizzically, "I'm not planning on wearing it at all ...but, morbid curiosity makes me wonder why _you _don't want me wearing it." He punctuated his ruminations with a sly smile. Roxanne stroked two fingers under his chin, running her thumb down that cute little strip of hair responsible for the whole joke. This had the desired effect of disconnecting Megamind's conscious brain temporarily, making his eyes go all dreamy, a crooked smile settling on his face and a contented purr sounding in his throat. "Because women all over town would be pelting you with nickels all day long" she explained. The look that crossed Megamind's face reminded Roxanne of a mischievous puppy she'd had as a child, a clearly clueless expression, but she decided she didn't want to explain this one, so she turned up the mind-numbing a bit by switching her fingers' explorations to his ears, causing his eyes to drift shut and his blush to deepen, the purr changing to a low growl.

Roxanne tossed the shirt to Minion and mouthed the words "burn this." Minion nodded and left his friends to yet another makeout session, smirking about the effect Miss Ritchi had on "Mr. Evil Overlord."


End file.
